Thieves steal five of Seven Dwarves ornaments honouring B.C. couple’s late son

Two Cloverdale residents are reeling after reminders of their lost son have been stolen for a second time in less than a year.

Bjorn and Cindy Storness-Bliss’s son Nicholas died in February 2018, and in the wake of that loss, they try to hold on to as many memories of their son as they can.

One of those memories is a set of garden ornaments. The Storness-Bliss home, located on 180th Street near Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary, is well-known in the neighbourhood as the residence of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

But they are more than just garden ornaments. They were a daily reminder of their son, who helped load the figures into the family truck and set them in the garden.

The theft happened in broad daylight during Easter Sunday, while Bjorn and his wife Cindy were home, he said.

“This once again has devastated our family, this is just so brazen,” he said.

“They took Sleepy, Grumpy, Doc, Sneezy and Bashful. They were in the process of trying for Snow White when they were spotted by a Good Samaritan who scared them off, but they got five.”

In June 2018, the Seven Dwarfs were stolen from the front garden. But, after a public plea, they were all safely returned after being dropped off at a Langley Fire Hall. That’s what Bjorn is hoping for again.

It’s “such a cruel thing to do,” he said. “Many neighbors cannot believe it, cannot believe people just watched. Everyone knows the dwarfs belong in our front yard, it was easy to see they were being stolen.”

Bjorn said the suspects drove off in a gold-coloured Toyota Previa van. The Good Samaritan who stopped the alleged thieves was also able to get a partial plate number, which has been reported to the police.

If anyone has any information about the theft, they are asked to please contact Surrey RCMP or Crime Stoppers.